


chasing visions of our futures

by RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws



Category: DCU (Comics), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Bad Parenting, Barry Allen & Iris West Friendship, Barry Allen Needs a Hug, Bisexual Barry Allen, Caitlin Snow Needs a Hug, DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) References, F/M, Hell, Not Canon Compliant, Sibling Bonding, Team as Family, i mean that's probably important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws/pseuds/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws
Summary: River Matthews decides to cause some chaos in Central City, mostly for fun, but also for the attention she knows she’ll get from The Flash. When he catches her, and she gets a second chance, she has to decide whether she should take it or if there’s no changing for her. There’s a lot more to her the more Barry tries to dig, and the more he does, the more River’s afraid he won’t like what he finds out.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Original Character(s), Julian Albert/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

With the holiday season already in motion, plenty of people were scrambling to pick up last minute presents here and there. River could practically feel the stress and anxiety buzzing in the air. Central City surely didn’t take the holidays lightly.

A number of stores were open later to accommodate all the frantic last minute shopping everyone was doing. For as cheerful as the holidays were supposed to be, the intense emotion and rushed thoughts as people hurried from one store to another hit River like an oncoming train. But by now, she was used to it. She’d need to focus anyways if she was going to go through with her plan.

Tuning out all of the noise that came with hearing people’s every thought, she made her way into a nearby toy store. Naturally, the store was decorated as far as the eye could see. There was no escaping the mass amounts of tinsel and paper snowflakes. 

As a kid, she might have loved the flashy displays, but after all this time, it mostly felt bittersweet. What she definitely didn’t love was the crowd of people frantically searching the store, hoping to find whatever it is their children desired. It was that much harder keeping her powers in check with so many of them, but she tried her best to push through it. 

Though it might seem a childish plan in nature, River weaved her way past people, using whatever powers she could muster to mess with the toys in just about every aisle. She watched on with something that might have resembled joy as toys came to life, marching off of shelves and attacking people. Of course, it didn’t take long for people to realize and run towards the entrance, screaming and clattering over each other to escape. There were little plastic robots chasing after people, toy monkeys attacking shoppers with their symbols, demonic-looking dolls biting at people like something out of a horror movie, you name it.

River couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as she watched the chaos. All it had taken was a few little toys and everyone was running off in horror. It was kind of pathetic, the way she saw it, but that was what she’d been hoping for. 

And, as she’d expected, the Flash was quick to show up to the scene as the last wave of shopper passed by him. River, not wanting to get caught for obvious reasons, made a run for it. 

Of course, she wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t outrun a speedster. But River had the upper hand as far as she knew. Without hesitation, she ran through the aisles, her body completely passing through the shelves as though they weren’t even there at all. The Flash was already after her, though she briefly saw him pause, probably confused to see her moving through things like a ghost. But whatever the case, he was shaken out of it rather quickly, and to River’s dismay, he could do exactly the same thing, and he was fast. There was no winning this, was there?

Before she knew it, the Flash caught up to her and slapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. River tried to phase through them, but it didn’t work. That hadn’t ever happened before, and she felt a slight panic settle in her chest.

“Good luck getting out of power dampening cuffs,” Flash said, a knowing grin on his face. 

Not River’s finest moment, but she supposed this was on her for even thinking this would go well for this time. She’d had several run-ins with him this week, but maybe she’d just gotten sloppy and overconfident this time. 

As pained as she was to be caught, River didn’t really put up a fight on their way to S.T.A.R. Labs. There was no point. Even worse was being locked away in a cell that was made to counteract her powers. 

“Bringing toys to life in the middle of a store? Kind of tacky and cartoonish, don’t you think?” The guy in charge of locking her up - Cisco, she was sure she’d heard Flash call him in passing - was getting on her nerves just a bit. “Not very talkative, are you?”

“Not to people locking me in…whatever this is.”

“It’s called the Pipeline, for your information,” Cisco explained. “And you’re not getting out, so I wouldn’t try if I were you.”

If he wasn’t standing on the other side of the glass, River might have done something to shut him up, but she couldn’t. For a brief moment, she was relieved to see the Flash return. At least she could tolerate him better. 

“You know, after three days of trying to stop you, you made it surprisingly easy this time,” he said. 

River sat down, leaning against the cell wall. “Not on purpose. I let my victories get to my head, and here we are.”

“Well, it was harder with barely any way to track you. You know, there isn’t a single record of you anywhere past eight years old? Why is that?”

Sure, River was locked up and unable to escape, but she wasn’t going to give in so easily. “Does it matter? You caught me.”

He didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, and she couldn’t blame him truthfully. Over the past few days, she’d learned she couldn’t read his mind, or any speedsters. They thought way too fast for her to comprehend. But she could tell he had a curious nature to some degree. And his next onslaught of questions sold that for her.

“Well, as far as we know, you’re not a metahuman. Doesn’t seem like you were here during the particle accelerator explosion. So how’d you do that? With the toys?”

“Magic.”

There wasn’t the slightest bit of teasing in her voice, but they didn’t seem to believe her.

“Magic’s not real, so nice try,” Cisco said. 

“It’s just as real as Santa Claus.”

The Flash and Cisco shared a look of confusion as they turned to one another. “I’m sorry, do you think Santa is real?” Cisco asked.

River looked up at them, wondering what the hell they were so surprised for. “Yeah? Doesn’t everyone? Isn’t that like the whole point?”

“Oh my god,” Flash said under his breath. “You dropped off the face of the Earth when you were eight, and no one told you since then?”

“Look, I don’t know, okay? The last time I celebrated anything was with my mom and my brother before I disappeared, and that was Hanukkah when I was eight. So, yeah.”

It was then that River realized that was already too much information. It wasn’t on purpose, though. It just came out.

“Where did you even go when you disappeared?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Cisco snorted. “We’ve seen a lot of weird shit. Try us.”

River hesitated for a moment. They’d probably just think she was crazy. “I went to Hell, that’s where.”

They both seemed less surprised than she’d expected. 

“What did you do to deserve getting sent there?” Flash asked. “Especially as a kid?”

“I’ve really already told you too much,” she said, wrapping her arms around her knees. “You also didn’t look all that shocked.”

“We have some friends who deal with that kind of thing.”

River raised an eyebrow. “And yet you still don’t believe in magic.”

“Magic is just science we haven’t figured out yet.”

She couldn’t help snorting. “Yeah, alright. Are we done now?”

For a moment, she thought they might let her be so she could wallow in her misery. But just as they were about to leave, the Flash seemed to have a sudden thought, like a light bulb suddenly went off in his head. “We know this guy - a friend of ours who helps us sometimes. Half-demon, surprisingly nice, really into plants. His name’s Hawthorne. You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you?”

At first, River was ready to dismiss it, but they’d perfectly described her brother. Though she hadn’t seen him since she disappeared, she’d kept tabs on him, whether he knew it or not. Mostly out of curiosity. 

“Maybe.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted her brother involved in this. She could only imagine how disappointed he might be in her. 

“Will you just give us one second?” Cisco dragged him away, presumably to discuss whatever it was they were thinking. She couldn’t make out anything under the hushed voices, unfortunately. Before long, they wrapped it up and turned to her again. 

“Right, well, we will be back with something for you to eat, because we aren’t monsters, and then we’ll figure out what to do with you in the meantime,” Cisco said, clapping his hands together. “So just sit tight.”

Already, River wasn’t liking this at all. But there wasn’t much she could do about whatever they decided to do, so she did exactly that and tried not to die of boredom in her cell. True to their word, Cisco came back with something for her to eat in the meantime. 

By the time the Pipeline door opened again, Hawthorne was standing on the other side with the Flash, and he looked very surprised to see her. He must have been expecting anyone else but her.

“I’m sorry, what is my sister doing here?” Hawthorne asked, turning to Flash. “Barry, you didn’t tell me I was dealing with my sister.”

“I didn’t know!”

River stood finally, crossing her arms. “Nice seeing you again, Thorny.” The look on his face was priceless, and she never wanted to forget how equally terrified and confused he looked. “Surprised to see me?”


	2. Chapter 2

Being stuck in the Pipeline for this long was already driving River insane. Maybe not literally, but she was extremely bored, and she didn't handle her boredom well. Not that she could do much about it if she wanted to. Cisco really had done a good job of designing the cells. 

While the rest of Team Flash - Hawthorne included - was deciding her fate, River was left to hope she wouldn't be kept here forever. Yeah, so she'd been causing them a lot of trouble for several days now, but they couldn't just keep her in here forever, right?

Luckily, Hawthorne came back eventually. She held onto the hope she had that maybe they'd let her go. After all, she could have done a lot worse, and River could be fairly persuasive if she tried. Not that she thought it would matter. Whatever they decided, they'd probably be set on it.

"So, I have some good news and some bad news," Hawthorne said. "The good news is, apparently, they're willing to let you out of here." 

River, who'd previously been splayed out on the cell floor, shot up to her feet. "Seriously?" Honestly, she hadn't expected them to actually do it.

"Yes, _but_ on one condition." That made her pause, the smile she'd had on her face dropping. "I convinced them to give you a chance as long as you try turning a new leaf."

"What?" River exclaimed. That was practically impossible for her, and she already knew she'd just let them down if she even tried. "What even makes you think I could do that?"

Hawthorne sighed, crossing his arms. "I think you could if you actually tried. You're not a terrible person, River. Maybe just a bit...misguided."

That felt like the understatement of the year. She might be worse off than he thought. 

River groaned and pressed her forehead against the glass of the cell. This was a lot to process. "Okay, so let's say for a second that I even entertain that idea. What have I ever done to make you think I can even change?" Even she had her doubts, and she could imagine it would take some time before the team even trusted her if she went along. On the other hand, it might be a nicer alternative to being kept in the Pipeline for however long. 

"Not much, but I care about you enough that I did what I could to convince them to give you a chance. Because I know what you've been through, and I think you at least deserve that chance." It was clear that Hawthorne meant it, but she was still having a hard time wrapping her head around his words. 

"They're just stressed out with all the metahumans that are constantly popping up, and they've been through a lot, so it might take them some time to warm up to you," he continued. "But if you just give it a chance, I think you'll like it a lot better than being stuck with dad for the rest of eternity."

River sighed and looked away as she let it all sink in. Realistically, she knew he was right, and squandering this chance might be her worst decision ever. "And what happens if I don't go along with it?"

Hawthorne shrugged, feigning a casual expression. "More than likely, you go to Iron Heights with the rest of the metahumans. Which is just as hard to escape as this cell."

The odds were stacked against her, and while River could be stubborn and unwilling to cooperate in the worst of circumstances, it was clear to her what her best option was. She'd have to play along.

"Alright, fine. I'll give it a shot," she decided. "But I'm not guaranteeing you this will even work." In fact, she had a very good feeling his misplaced faith in her was only going to bite him in the ass eventually.

"I only ask that you try."

Hawthorne relayed her decision to the rest of the team, and he came back with Caitlin to let her out. Of course, they were going to watch her like a hawk now that she was free, but River much preferred it to the boring cell she'd be stuck in otherwise. 

"Are you ready for the bad news?" Hawthorne asked once she was free. In her eagerness, she forgot there even was a bad end to all this.

"I suppose."

"I have my own team to work with, so I won't be around much. So, as much as I'd love to have you stay with me, I won't be in Central City to keep an eye on you. I'm a little busy with the Legends," he explained. "But Caitlin's agreed to show you around while I sort out everything else I need to."

Admittedly, the thought of exploring a little was exciting. S.T.A.R. Labs seemed like a pretty big place, and to say she didn't think it could be cool to look around would be a lie. "Sounds fun," River said. 

Hawthorne patted her back, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll be around for a little longer before I have to head out." 

With that, he left her with Caitlin. River followed her around the building, curiously looking around. Already, she could tell she was bound to get lost on her own, at least for a while. She tried to create a mental map, which was easier said than done. Still reeling from the fact that she was even here, she'd only caught half of what Caitlin was saying in her tour of the lab. Part of her felt bad for not totally listening, but another part of her wondered why she even felt bad at all. Really, her thoughts and emotions were all over the place, but she made a mental note to thank her brother sometime for getting her out of the Pipeline. From what she could tell, he was pretty good friends with everyone on Team Flash, which was probably the biggest deciding factor in her release. Otherwise, she was sure she wouldn't be following Caitlin through the halls. 

River snapped out of her thoughts as they stopped in Cisco's workshop. The only other person in the room, though, was another man who was definitely not Cisco. And he was throwing things out of frustration.

"This is Harry," Caitlin explained, seemingly not even fazed by his behavior. "Don't worry. This is normal for him." 

It was almost comforting how strange everyone on the team was. At least from her perspective. While she still had her doubts about this working out, she felt a little better knowing she probably wasn't much stranger than them, or at least that they'd probably accept how different she was if they could accept Harry's weird outbursts. 

"I can tell," River said. Not the strangest thing she'd seen. 

Caitlin pulled her away, letting Harry work through his problem as they finished up the tour. "Don't worry if you get a little lost right away. It take a little adjusting to this place for everyone."

"Yeah, no kidding. It's bigger than I thought." Though she didn't say it, it was kind of exciting. She could definitely get used to this. And, if she was being honest, she kind of enjoyed listening to Caitlin, at least for as much as she'd listened.

"Well, I'll be here if you ever need help," Caitlin assured her. "We're all supposed to make sure you're supervised until we can fully trust you, but that wasn't my idea."

River wasn't too surprised, and she wouldn't have expected otherwise. It was probably a fair call, though. A smart move on their end. No doubt they knew better than to trust a stranger right away, especially someone they'd been trying to catch for a few days now. 

"Speaking of which," Caitlin continued, "We figured, since Hawthorne's usually busy, you probably need somewhere to stay. So, I volunteered to let you stay with me for a while."

Of all the people River could have ended up with, she seemed the most tolerable. Caitlin hadn't been anything but kind so far, which kind of threw her off guard, admittedly, but it was kind of nice. 

"You're really sure you want me around?" Caitlin nodded, a smile still present on her face. "Alright, but I'm a lot to handle being around for that long."

She didn't seem too dissuaded, oddly enough. "Trust me, I've dealt with worse," Caitlin said.

Seeing as it was getting pretty late, Caitlin wrapped up and let everyone know they were heading out. Everyone seemed worried about leaving her with River, even if they didn't say. And surely Caitlin knew her friends well enough to see it, too, but she didn't seem to carry the same unease as the rest of them. She simply dismissed it and lead the way to her apartment.

* * *

Caitlin's apartment seemed nice than anywhere River had ever lived, though her standards weren't very high. Hell wasn't exactly a great place, so anywhere might have been nicer. Just from looking around, she could tell Caitlin must be a neat person. Nothing was really out of place, and she didn't seem to leave many messes, if any. 

Figuring River must be hungry, Caitlin found something for them to snack on in the meantime. Though she'd eaten a little while in her cell, she would never turn down food, and she did often found herself hungry quicker than she knew was probably normal. So the thoughtfulness didn't go unappreciated. 

It really was strange having someone actually being kind and concerned for her, even if it was just small things. It was just new and different, in a good way. 

Caitlin made sure River was set for the night so she could sleep well. Tomorrow, they'd work on some training and getting her used to working with everyone else, so she'd need as much sleep as she could get. River knew that would be hard with how much difficulty she had sleeping, as if her brain refused to shut off, but she didn't worry Caitlin with that. She could deal with it herself. 

Once River had a decent layout of the house in case she needed the bathroom in the middle of the night or anything else, Caitlin let her be and went to her room to rest. As she's expected of herself, River couldn't sleep right away. Which was fine. It was normal for her. But now she had so much time to herself, and therefore more time to think.

Today had been so strange. Such a whirlwind as everything changed. If it hadn't been for her brother, she wouldn't be here right now, and though they had a lot of problems to sort out between each other, she greatly appreciated his help. And Caitlin was probably the first person to show her any kindness in a long time. As strange as it was, River welcomed it. And though she had some concerns and doubts about joining a team of heroes, she was kind of glad they'd even given her a chance. They certainly didn't have to, though she knew it was mainly to do with Hawthorne. 

This could be the start of something much better. And if she had anything to say about it, she was going to make the most of it while she could. River thought back to what Hawthorne said about her being misguided. By all means, she knew he was right. She might have done some horrible things - things she often regretted when she stop to think about it - but it wasn't the end of the world for her. There might still be a chance for her after all. 

It was with that small shred of hope that River actually found herself growing tired. It had been a long day, and she was far too comfortable not to feel sleepy. Her last thought before letting sleep take over was, _I hope I don't let them down too much._


End file.
